The One Decision That Gave Me My Time (and My Growth) Back
READ TIME – 2 MINUTES
One thing really hit me as I reviewed the last few clinic days…
There’s no way I could function at this pace without systems—and especially without a scribe.
Buying Back Time Is Not a Luxury
If you’re busy and still doing all your own notes, you’re paying for it somewhere:
- Burnout
- Missed revenue opportunities
- No time to think strategically
Having a scribe allows me to:
- Stay present with patients
- Track procedures accurately
- Review my numbers instead of guessing
That alone has changed my practice.
Reduce Low-Value, Increase High-Value
Once your time is protected, the next move is obvious:
- Gradually reduce low-value visits
- Intentionally increase high-value care
That means:
- Shockwave
- Orthotics
- Nail fungus programs
- Bracing
- Procedures that actually move revenue
You don’t need to do everything—you need to do the right things consistently.
A Quick EMR Lesson
One frustration I ran into this week was referrals in ModMed.
If you don’t preset your common referrals (derm, vascular, rheum, endo), your staff wastes time hunting NPIs—and that slows everything down.
Small EMR optimizations make a big difference over a year.
Don’t Waste the Content You Create
One last thing…
My virtual assistants finally organized all of my assets—emails, Instagram posts, website copy—into one Notion system.
If you’re creating content and not organizing it, you’re recreating work you already paid for. That stuff is evergreen. Reuse it.
Final Thought
The biggest mistake I made earlier in my career was being “too busy” to optimize.
Once you:
- Buy back time
- Track your work
- Focus on high-value care
Growth becomes predictable.
Key Takeaways
- A scribe is one of the highest ROI decisions you can make
- Busy without systems equals stalled growth
- High-value care fuels revenue without burning you out